The slopes

  • Extent 4 out of 5
  • Fast lifts 5 out of 5
  • Snow 5 out of 5
  • Queues 2 out of 5
  • Terrain p'ks 5 out of 5
  • Expert 4 out of 5
  • Intermediate 5 out of 5
  • Beginner 3 out of 5
  • Boarder 3 out of 5
  • X-country 3 out of 5
  • Restaurants 2 out of 5
  • Schools 4 out of 5
  • Families 4 out of 5

The resort

  • Resort charm 3 out of 5
  • Convenience 3 out of 5
  • Scenery 3 out of 5
  • Eating out 5 out of 5
  • Apres ski 3 out of 5
  • Off-slope 3 out of 5

Key facts

Resort2500 m
Slopes2475-3525 m
Lifts31
Pistes5289 acres
Price index215

Vail

USA

Vail

The upside

  • One of the biggest areas in the US – especially great for confident intermediates
  • The Back Bowls are big areas of treeless terrain – unusual in the US
  • Fabulous area of ungroomed, wooded slopes at Blue Sky Basin
  • Largely traffic-free resort centres, very pleasant in parts – but …

The downside

  • Resort is a vast sprawl
  • Slopes can be crowded by American standards, with serious lift queues
  • Inadequate mountain restaurants
  • Blue Sky Basin and Back Bowls may not be open in early season; warm weather can close much of Bowls
  • Expensive, with lots of luxury lodgings but few budget options
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    Summary

    We always enjoy skiing Vail; it’s a big mountain with a decent vertical, and Blue Sky Basin’s ‘adventure’ skiing is a key attraction. But it is far from being our favourite American mountain. In an American resort you expect the runs to be pretty much crowd-free – and in any resort you expect 20-minute lift queues to be a thing of the past. In these respects, Vail disappoints.
    When the budget runs to a swanky billet in Vail Village or the Lionshead area, we’re happy enough with the resort, too; it is a pleasant place to wander around. But we’re not enthusiastic about Vail Village’s pseudo-Tirolean style, and the rest of the huge resort lacks character. In the end, Vail can’t compete with more distinctively American resorts based on old mining towns.

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    The slopes

    • Extent 4 out of 5
    • Fast lifts 5 out of 5
    • Snow 5 out of 5
    • Queues 2 out of 5
    • Terrain p'ks 5 out of 5
    • Expert 4 out of 5
    • Intermediate 5 out of 5
    • Beginner 3 out of 5
    • Boarder 3 out of 5
    • X-country 3 out of 5
    • Restaurants 2 out of 5
    • Schools 4 out of 5
    • Families 4 out of 5

    The resort

    • Resort charm 3 out of 5
    • Convenience 3 out of 5
    • Scenery 3 out of 5
    • Eating out 5 out of 5
    • Apres ski 3 out of 5
    • Off-slope 3 out of 5

    Key facts

    Resort2500 m
    Slopes2475-3525 m
    Lifts31
    Pistes5289 acres
    Price index215